When it Rains, it Pours
by NicoleMack
Summary: Post season 4 finale. Luke and Lorelai deal with their actions. Will they follow through, or is it the end of the beginning? WIP: Chapter 10 is up, and it's a doozy!
1. Luke

Ok, so the usual about the bloodied horse, but come on, we have a whole summer to get through, right? This is going to be pure javajunkie, cuz I don't feel like writing a bunch of other characters. Some may appear later purely for the purpose of advancing the plot.  
  
Disclaimer: In the words of the skipping Phoebe Buffay: not-not mine, not- not mine.   
Rating: PG-13 for drug references, and possibly some other stuff ;)  
  
Chapter One  
  
**7 Days Post-Kiss, approx 8am**  
  
He pressed the button beside the front door, hearing the responding electronic _ding-dong_ from inside the house. In one hand, he held a tall silver thermos, while the other nervously adjusted the blue cap on his head. He heard footsteps, and sucked in his breath, preparing himself for the sight that was about to confront him. A sight he had not seen since being mere millimetres away almost a week ago.  
  
The door swung open, and looking decidedly distracted, tired, frazzled and stressed was the face of Lorelai Gilmore. The woman who had recently begun to make his world even crazier than usual. Remembering his resolve, he stopped her before she spoke, thrusting the thermos into her hands.  
  
"Here. I figured that since you're avoiding me, you shouldn't suffer from a lack of, what was it you called it? 'Legal Dope'?" He spoke in his usual, if not more than usual gruff tone, his words sounding a touch more clipped than originally planned. When she had the flask firmly in hand, he turned and strode down the steps of her porch back towards his truck. He didn't expect a reply, which in itself was surprising, since this woman had a reply for literally everything. So it _was_ a surprise when he heard her speak.  
  
"Luke, wait!"  
  
He waved a dismissal without turning around, striding faster towards his car, intent on leaving without having to go through what would likely be a very loud, very confusing argument on her front lawn, for all of Stars Hollow to witness first hand. He heard her heels clicking across the wooden porch and steps, and knew she was chasing him. He had reached his truck, and for reasons unbeknownst to him at the time, he paused a moment, his hand on the door handle, apparently waiting for her to reach him.  
  
"Luke, please?"  
  
He hated that sound in her voice. He could never say no to that sound in her voice. _Damn it!_ He turned around and faced her, waiting expectantly for her to continue. A few seconds passed and they just stared at one another.  
  
"What?" he demanded.  
  
He watched two small lines appear between her eyebrows, and the frown already tugging at her lips deepened. "I'm sorry," she stated regretfully.  
  
"For what? Avoiding me all week? Ignoring my phone calls? Letting things go too far between us?" He knew he was raising his voice with each question, but he was so hurt by her actions, he couldn't help himself. He had done all the work, and she had seemed quite happy to go along with it all. She had even made sure he understood she was no longer attached. She had given him hope, _damn it! _  
  
He waited for her response, amazed that she had been reduced to so few words. He had never seen this side of her before. Regardless of the emotion, she usually rambled until she had either avoided the problem completely, or spilled it all to whoever happened to be listening at the time – him being the usual sounding board.  
  
"Yes," she whispered finally.  
  
In some ways, he'd expected that response, but it still threw him when the word actually left her lips. So that was it. She didn't really want any more from him than friendship. Well, that was fine. He'd had so many near misses with her over the past few years that he was almost used to the feeling of loss. Without another word, he pulled the car door open, his eyes never leaving her face for a second. He hoped she could see how much she had just hurt him. He hoped she would feel guilty. He hoped she was hurting as much as he was. Luke climbed into the cab of the truck and slammed the door. His grabbed the keys that were already dangling in the ignition and turned to face her again.  
  
"You could have told me that before I went and made a complete ass of myself." With that, he turned the key, and the engine roared to life. He put the truck into reverse and pushed hard on the accelerator, knowing he should be more careful, but too angry to care. He refused to glance back at her while he paused to change gears, and then took off down the road, back to the solace of his diner.  
  
---  
  
Please, please review. I'll be a very happy bunny! 


	2. Lorelai

** Chapter Two  
  
7 Days Post-Kiss, approx 8am**  
  
Lorelai was halfway down the stairs, one arm through her suit jacket and the other reaching to secure her shoes on her feet when the doorbell rang. Scowling at whoever was behind the door because they were going to make her later getting to the inn than she already was, she shoved her shoe on her foot and shrugged her jacket into place before heading for the door. The sight that greeted her was a surprise to say the least. She knew she had deliberately avoided him all week, but she had a thousand and one excuses ready, though none of them were the true reason.     
  
But before she even had a chance to open her mouth in apology, he was thrusting a silver thermos into her hands and stating rather abruptly, "Here. I figured that since you're avoiding me, you shouldn't suffer from a lack of, what was it you called it? 'Legal Dope'?" 

Shocked, she fumbled to keep hold of the flask, her mind whirling with a million different thoughts, none of them succinct enough to actually make it to her lips. _What the hell is wrong with me? In every other situation I'm the freakin' ringmaster for the Ringling Brothers, but now when I could really use a complete sentence, I'm suddenly Marcel Marceau? Could my life get any more Alanis? _As the thoughts whirled in her head, and she continued to struggle to come out with something halfway intelligent, she was lax in noticing him turning away and heading back to his truck.

"Luke, wait!" _Thankyou God! Now, if you can just bestow some of that wit I used to have such a talent for, I'd be forever in your debt. Rory would make a kickass angel you know.. actually, maybe I should be asking Charlie. I wonder why Bill Murray really refused to sign for the sequel. He really was much better than Bernie Mac.. oh crap!_

Luke had ignored her, and while she was having such an entertaining internal conversation, he was getting away. She bolted down the steps, scurrying across the too soft grass in her heels, trying to reach him before he made it inside the car.

"Luke, please?"

She watched him turn to look at her, and she could see the anguish in his eyes. Her heart thudded against her chest, afraid of the knowledge that her own actions were the cause of that pain. It wasn't what she had intended at all. The last thing she'd _ever_ wanted was to hurt him. It was quite the opposite actually.

"What?" he demanded.

Her mind worked overtime, whirring through the billions of things she could come out with at this very moment, but none seemed at all appropriate or relevant. In the end, she sighed and stated meaningfully, "I'm sorry."

"For what? Avoiding me all week? Ignoring my phone calls? Letting things go too far between us?"

She reacted physically to his questions. Sure, she actually was referring to the first two, but that last one? God, who knows. Of all the times for that to have happened between them, of all the times for her to find herself kissing her best friend, and _liking it_, it had to be that night. That night where a gazillion events had occurred, balancing fairly precariously between good and bad. If that kiss hadn't happened when it did, the pleasure of her dream coming true would have been thrown off the scales from the sheer weight of the bad. That kiss had helped balance it all out, had cancelled out the horror of the rest of the evening. However, there was only so much one person could deal with at the same time, and something had to give. So she found herself enforcing that pain she had seen in his eyes with one more, final word.

"Yes," she whispered finally.

She knew she had driven the stake clear through his chest. She could almost see the pain pouring from the wound, pouring from his eyes. As expected, she felt the same searing pain in her own chest. She had just committed murder-suicide, and she had no idea if either one of them would ever wake from the dead, and make a full recovery.

She watched wordlessly as he threw himself into the truck, threw the truck in reverse and practically screeched out of her driveway. After he was gone, she realised she was still clutching the thermos of his coffee tightly against her chest, as if it were an old teddy bear that could provide comfort.

"Ugh!" she groaned loudly, looking around helplessly for something to lash out at. Fleetingly, she considered throwing the thermos to the ground, but the thought of Luke's precious coffee inside stopped her. Instead, she stepped over to her car, issuing a swift kick to the rear tire. "Ow!" _Damn that hurt! Well done Lorelai, perhaps a career change is in order.. Dominatrix perhaps? You're a real pro at doling out the pain after all. _

She needed to talk to someone about all this. Not just the problems with Luke, but everything; her parents, Rory, even the excitement over the success of the inn. As she headed back into her house to grab her bag and keys, she realised with yet another stab of pain that Luke was the person she usually shared everything with.

---

Please don't hate me, and I know it seems repetitive, but I figured I should be telling both sides of the story. Hope I got Lorelai down, she's a damn hard character to write. Oh, also, I hope noone is offended with the mild swearing. Actually, I don't even consider those words swearing unless you're around a 2 year old who loves to repeat everything that comes out of your mouth. So yeah, my point.. I can imagine both Luke and Lorelai using 'damn' and 'crap', but since the actual show is rated what, G? I don't feel comfortable putting anything harsher into their mouths. OH! Also, to those that reviewed my first chapter, THANK you so much! Some of your comments were exactly what I was thinking in writing this fic. I was looking for something more angsty that didn't get to the fun too quickly, not that I don't enjoy reading that. This is I guess my attempt at what I can imagine happening next season. Maybe not so dramatic, but definitely as uncertain. Ok, I'm shutting up now. Maybe writing Lorelai has rubbed off on me... Anyway, never fear, this is:

To Be Continued...

PS puh-lease review!


	3. It's raining, it's pouring

Chapter 3 

Note: Ok, the reason I've taken so long to continue is cuz I had to think about where I actually wanted this story to go. I had to make sure I had enough plot to follow through with my intention to provide a bunch of angst. So, things may take a slight turn, and you're going to see a lot of other characters, cuz basically, how can I provide the conflict if none of them are there? So yeah, hopefully the story will come out more well rounded, and I'm going to apologise in advance for the lack of Luke in the next chapter or two. I'm not sure when I'm gonna get to him decently. Just please stick with me, and I'll deliver on the promise of a javajunkie fic.

So, again I disclaim these characters, we all know how awesome they are, and if not for Ms Amy S-P, we'd all be staring at a blank page right now. So thanks Amy, you have one of the most intriguing and creative minds I've ever seen!

---

**7 Days Post Kiss, 8:30am**

Lorelai headed into the inn via the kitchen door, pausing long enough to grab a mug and fill it with Luke's coffee. She continued on her way through the hallway to the check-in desk, and looked up as she turned towards her office, noticing, as she did every day, the vase holding the flowers Luke had given her a week ago. They were finally starting to wilt and dry out, the beginning of the end for something that held so much meaning. She knew it was probably time to throw them away, but she couldn't bring herself to touch them. She didn't want to forget that moment, the first time he had ever given a woman flowers. That thought alone made the gesture so much more meaningful. Had he never _wanted_ to buy anyone else flowers? Or was it just that he had never _thought to_? Had he been too embarrassed before, with Rachel, with Nicole? What made her so special? What urged him to go out in public, pick some flowers and willing carry them all the way to the inn, and even present them to her in front of countless other pairs of eyes?

Sighing with the weight of her thoughts, she pushed them aside temporarily and stepped into her small office, intent on locking out the rest of the world and concentrating solely on the planning for the inn's first official day of service. Leaning back in her chair, she realised that this was probably the first three seconds of peace she'd had since the previous Saturday. She sipped at her coffee, allowing her mind to drift back to that night, before Kirk had woken all the guests with his terrified screaming, before he had interrupted them, before she had hurried home and found Rory and Dean. She remembered what she had been thinking in that moment, just as she was leaning towards Luke for a third.. _really? It would have been the third?_.. kiss. She had been thinking how good it felt, how she was glad something good was happening after the arguments with Jason and her parents.

She closed her eyes, trying to bring forth the feeling of his lips pressed against hers, his arms wrapped tightly around her, his heart pounding against her chest. Naturally, Michel and Sookie chose that exact moment to charge into the office, talking over the top of one another, vying for Lorelai's attention at whatever it was they felt had highest priority.

"Lorelai, thank god you're here! I've been looking through the linen supply closet, and I can't find the yellow tablecloths we ordered with the dragonfly embroidered in the corners. I thought they arrived a couple of weeks ago. Did you see them? Did someone move them? I wanted to use them for the first meal; you know, add a touch of colour rather than use the white ones. They're so boring and.." Sookie rambled despite the fact that Michel was also rambling.

"Lorelai, I would have expected that now that you have your very own inn to run that you might consider actually showing up on time in the mornings. What a dreamland I must have been in. I was expecting you half an hour ago to go over the schedule. And also, the snotty nosed little farmer boy you hired to feed the horses and clean the stables isn't doing his job. He hasn't put away any of the food that arrived yesterday, and the stables smell terrible. I do _not_ know how you expect our guests to actually go in there and enjoy themselves. I really do not know what you were thinking when you bought those beasts. They really have no place in such a calming environment.."

Lorelai stared open mouthed at them until they seemed to be slowing down to a steady stream, as opposed to the relentless blather they had entered the room with. "Guys.. guys.. GUYS!" she finally yelled, startling both of them into silence. "Ok, first of all, Sookie, yes, the tablecloths did arrive, but I asked the housekeeping staff to press them yesterday so they would be ready for you to put on the tables today. Why don't you go check with Celia. I'm sure she's taking care of them."

"Oh," Sookie replied, surprised. "Sorry."

Lorelai nodded and turned to Michel, "As for you, I thought we hired you here to make sure things kept themselves running properly. Why didn't you talk to farmer boy about the jobs he needs to be doing?"

"Because Lorelai, did you not hear me when I said the stables _smell_? I am not going to go into that disgusting building and leave with the reek of those animals and their waste permeating my suit. I'll have you know this is Armani, and I am not going to ruin the best suit I own just so your precious horses are taken care of."

She threw her hands in the air and stood, leading him out of the office and out the front door towards the stables to talk to Nathan, the recent high school graduate Lorelai had hired to care for the horses. She shook her head as she walked, knowing that it was too good to be true. How stupid could she really be? Of course there was something she had to deal with. Of course she'd never be able to relax and think about Luke. It was times like these that she wondered why she actually wanted to run her own inn.

---

By the time she finally got back to her desk, it was almost 10:30, and her forgotten cup of coffee was now cold and wasted. She grabbed the thermos, hoping that it was expensive enough to have done its job properly, as opposed to the cheaper ones that never seemed to deliver as promised. She had barely turned around when her cell rang loudly from her handbag. She rummaged through the bag until she found the offending object and looked at the screen, only to find it was Jason calling. She inhaled, calming herself before she flipped the phone open and released a pleasant "Hi," into the mouthpiece.

"Lorelai, I'm glad I caught you. I hope this isn't a bad time," he began, barely pausing to allow her to even open her mouth, "Listen, I know things are crazy for you right now, but when they calm down a bit, like in a couple of weeks, maybe we could get away for a few days, just you and me. I think it would be good for us. We can talk, we can eat, we can get this whole mess sorted out once and for all. I know this great place up in Vermont. It's very secluded, perfect for a romantic weekend. What do you think?"

"Jason, there's no way I could even consider getting away from this place for the next three months, _minimum_. And to be quite honest, I can't say that you're the first person that pops into my mind when I think of getting away."

"Way to shoot a man when he's down Lorelai. Come on, I thought we were going to talk about this. I waited all day Monday for your call, and I called you Tuesday, only to be blown off. I think I've been quite patient waiting until today for your call back. I want us to work this out, why can't you see that?"

Lorelai groaned in frustration. She'd had enough of his constant badgering, and was finally ready to tell him so. "Look, Jason, I've tried to be nice about this. You were a complete jerk when you pulled that lawsuit against my dad, but I managed to restrain myself last week when you showed up unannounced. I've had enough Jason. There is no way I will _ever_ consider rekindling a relationship with you, and quite frankly, I wonder now what I ever saw in you. Maybe it was simply the idea of my mother hating it so much that I wanted it, regardless of whether or not it was good for me. I _don't_ want you to call me again. Goodbye Jason." She flipped the phone shut and fell into her chair, leaning her forehead against the desk. The wood felt cool and calming against her throbbing head. She wished she could lock herself in this room and never be bothered again for all eternity, but she knew that would be impossible.

Naturally, as those thoughts passed through her mind, her cell phone rang again, with the usual eerie bad timing her mother somehow always managed, without fail. Did she have some sort of surveillance on her? How was it that she always knew the _exact_ wrong moment to call?

"Mom," Lorelai stated, barely controlling her frustration.

"Lorelai, good, I'm glad I caught you. I was wondering if you were going to be busy for lunch today?"

"Mom, The inn opens tomorrow. I barely have time to sleep. What makes you think I'd have time to spend an hour eating?" She knew her words were going to start something, and though she honestly didn't have time for it, she knew no other way to make it clear enough for Emily to understand.

Sookie walked into the office, not realising Lorelai was on the phone. She waited quietly as Lorelai sighed and listened to her mother speak her mind yet again.

"Honestly Lorelai, there's no need for that kind of tone. All you need to say is I'm sorry I can't make lunch today, how about tomorrow?"

"That's just it Mom. I _can't_ have lunch with you for at least the next week, probably longer. I just cannot leave the inn until everything is settled here properly."

"So basically you're saying you don't want to have lunch with _me_," Emily reiterated, twisting her daughter's word unnecessarily. "You don't care that I'm upset, you don't care that I might need somebody to talk to. You just _don't care_! Do you Lorelai?"

Lorelai's chest was heaving as she tried to breathe through her anger. She knew that last thing she should do now is respond with the same tone her mother had just used. But oh how she wanted to, more than anything in the world. "Look Mom, I'm sorry, but did you ever stop to think that you're not the only person with problems? I have a lot going on here, and I just cannot handle any more than what's already on my plate. So _please_, just understand that I'm too busy, ok?"

There was an extremely long pause, longer even than Emily was known for, and then she heard a quiet, "Fine," before a click and the line went dead.

"Is everything ok hon?" Sookie asked sympathetically.

"Yeah, I'm just peachy," Lorelai replied sarcastically. "You know those moments where there is so much going on you feel like you're Sydney Bristow and you've just been caught out by the bad guys, and you have no idea how to get yourself out of the situation before you're killed, and then it goes to a commercial and you're just hanging there, waiting to find out what happens next, and then you realise that all you need to do is use your sexuality and then kick some ass?"

Sookie nodded along with the story, though her face betrayed her confusion. Lorelai slumped back in her chair and said simply, "I wish all it took to fix my problems was a bit of kickboxing the bad guys."

"That bad?"

"You have _no_ idea."

"Mom!" Lorelai and Sookie turned their heads towards the door, hearing Rory's anxious voice outside. She hurried into the room, her steps faltering for barely a moment as she noticed Sookie there, and exclaimed, "Mom, I need to talk to you!"

All it took was one look into her daughter's deer-in-headlights expression to know something big had just happened. She immediately jumped into action, grabbing Rory's hand and leading her outside and down the path to the back garden.

"What happened?"

"Lindsay came to see me! She yelled at me for having some sort of hold over Dean! She thinks I never let him go so he could move on and be with somebody else, and she says that I'm completely selfish and that if she sees me near him again she's not gonna stand by silently and let it happen. God Mom, what have I done?" The tears were welling in her eyes, and Lorelai quickly pulled her into her arms, one hand holding her head protectively.

"Well I for one have had enough," Lorelai spoke determinedly after several silent moments. Rory pulled back and looked at her mother in confusion.

"What?"

"I've had enough. I cannot deal with anything anymore. We're leaving."

"Again, what?"

"Just go home, pack some clothes. I'll be there in a few minutes. I'm going to talk to Sookie."

"But.."

"No arguments kid. Just go. I'll see you soon." Lorelai then turned and headed back inside, finding Sookie back in the kitchen, moving frantically around, ensuring everything was where it was supposed to be and that they had everything they needed for a successful first meal.

"Sookie, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure, what's up?" She continued her hurried movements, listening as she worked.

"Ok, well don't freak out on me, but I have to go."

"Ok, that's fine. I'll see you later then. I have plenty here to keep me busy."

"No, Sookie, I have to _go_. Away."

Sookie froze, afraid of what was coming next.

"I know the timing could not be worse, but I just, I can't deal with anything else right now. My stress levels are at a 'Danger Will Robinson' meltdown type high, and if I don't leave, I'm afraid of what I'm going to do when we actually have guests here tomorrow." She was becoming more and more upset as she talked, pacing the floor, refusing to meet Sookie's eyes. The guilt was already eating at her, but she knew she had no choice. It was either go and give herself time to calm down and recover, or freak out at the absolute worst moment possible.

"Lorelai, you cannot leave me here alone! I'm just a chef, I can't do it all by myself!"

"Sookie, Michel will be here, and I'll call Ivan. I'm sure he won't mind coming in to help out tomorrow for a couple of hours while it's busy. Tell him we'll pay him overtime for however long he wants to work before the night shift. I just really _really_ need to go Sookie. I'm scared I'm going to attack a guest for asking me if they get a freakin' mint on their pillow. I just.. I can't do it."

Sookie stared at her friend for a moment, seeing the frustration and confusion and tiredness in her eyes. She knew she couldn't force her to stay, and if Lorelai said she was stressed then it was a big deal. Sighing, she said, "Ok. If that's what you need. Just promise me that if you go, you'll come back and be able to handle this with me. I was planning to run this place with my best friend."

"I promise," Lorelai smiled gratefully and wrapped Sookie in a hug. "Thankyou."

"You've got two days before I come and drag you back," Sookie warned.

"Yes ma'am!" Lorelai saluted and then hurried to grab her bag and head for home. She could already feel the calm enveloping her. It was as if the simple idea of getting away from her problems was enough to improve her outlook. As she exited the office, she stopped once more to stare at Luke's flowers. She frowned, blinking slowly as she wondered what she was going to do about him. OF all the things she had to figure out while she and Rory were gone, that was the one that deserved the most attention.

---

TBC.. and Ps I'd love a review or two ;)


	4. When there are clouds in the sky

**Chapter Four**

_When there are clouds in the sky, you'll get by.._

**7 days post kiss, 1pm**

"I just don't understand why we couldn't just stop at Luke's and fill up on coffee _before_ we got on the highway. I can't believe you of all people would force us to wait half an hour for a fix," Rory continued to argue as they stood in a line at a Starbucks located just outside of Hartford.

"Rory, I really don't feel like talking about it just yet, ok? Let's wait until we get to where we're going, settle in, and then we'll talk it all out, ok?"

"All of it?" Rory asked warily, unsure if she wanted to divulge everything relating to her current problematic situation.

"Yes. If you tell me yours, I'll tell you mine," Lorelai attempted to joke, just as she noticed the server at the counter waiting expectantly for them. "Oh quick, you go order and I'll give Mia a call."

Rory stepped forward and pulled out some cash as she gave their order, and Lorelai stepped outside, pulling her cell phone out. When Mia answered, she quickly explained the situation, telling her that she and Rory had left town quite suddenly and hadn't thought out exactly where they were going. Mia caught on in an instant, and graciously offered them the use of her beach house on the coast. Lorelai thanked her profusely and hung up, just as Rory came outside with two massive cups of steaming coffee.

"Ok, we're all set. Mia said she'd call the estate agent now to let him know we're coming in to pick up the keys."

"Great. Good to know we finally know where exactly we're heading."

"Haha. Come on, let's get moving!"

---

**7 days post kiss, 8pm**

He had decided to walk there, to give himself some time to think through exactly what he was going to say this time. He swore to himself repeatedly that he was not going to let himself blow his top, or let out any harsh, cruel words, regardless of what she was going to say; regardless of how infuriating she would undoubtedly be. When he'd come that morning, he hadn't thought about it. He had just grabbed the thermos, emptied the pot of coffee into it and stormed out to his truck. Before he knew what he was doing, he was knocking on her door and then making her feel bad without even asking if she had an explanation. His gut was telling him he already knew, but the entire day since had his head telling him he had been unfair and that he really should find out the truth before jumping to conclusions. Anything could have happened since last Saturday. Rory could be hurt; hell _Lorelai_ could have been hurt.

This time he was determined to have a long serious talk with her. He wasn't going to let her hide from him. If she was leaving to go out, he wouldn't let her go until they had a few things straight.

As he turned the corner, he was disappointed to see the house in darkness, and only Rory's car in the driveway. There was definitely no one home, so he headed across Babette's yard instead, ringing the doorbell and waiting impatiently.

The door opened and a surprised Babette stepped outside. "Oh hi sugar, what can I do you for? Morey and I were just sittin' down to listen to some Chet. You wanna come in for a while? I could get you some tea if you like or.."

"No no Babette, that's ok. I was just wondering if you knew where Lorelai was?"

"Oh are you lookin' for her? I saw her and Rory packing the car this afternoon. Looked like they were going away for a couple days. They had bags and everything. They didn't ask us to check the mail or watch the house or anything, so I don't think they'll be gone long. I'm surprised you didn't know. I woulda thought they'd stop by the diner for some of your home cookin' before they left?"

"No, I haven't seen her since this morning."

"You sure you don't want to stay for some tea? I'm sure I have some chamomile in there somewhere."

"No, I gotta get back. I'll see you later Babette," he smiled briefly, and turned to head back to the diner.

Typical. It was just so _damn_ typical that he'd missed his chance again. It had taken him all day to figure out what the hell to do next, and then it was too late. He thought he'd been making real progress ever since he had bought that self-help book. He thought he had learned something from it, but knowing and doing were two completely different things. He felt like most of his courage had been used up over the last couple of weeks, between asking her out, _twice_, asking her to dance, _kissing her_. It had all been him. He realised then just how much effort he had put into getting what he wanted, and he decided that he wasn't about to give up. Maybe Sookie would know where they'd gone. Lorelai would have had to talk to her about it, with the inn about to open officially. He quickened his pace, anxious now to continue on his plan of action. He wasn't going to let another chance pass him by.

His knock sounded distinctly anxious upon Sookie's door. He had no clue as to whether Lorelai had told anyone about their.. jeez, he could even define what was going on between them. Were they dating, even though so far, it consisted of one sort-of-date, where she hadn't even realised that's what it was until it was over, and a couple of short lived, intense kisses. Was that dating?

"Luke, hey!" Sookie smiled at her unexpected visitor. "Come on in. I hope you don't mind the mess, you cannot believe how much stuff babies accumulate in such a short amount of time." She didn't even wait for him to protest, just turned around and walked into the living room. Luke reluctantly followed her in and sat in the chair beside the couch. "So, to what do I owe this visit?" She asked with a smile.

"Um, I don't mean to intrude. I actually just wanted to ask you if you'd seen Lorelai," he started to explain.

"Wait, she didn't come to see you before they left? Wow, didn't think I'd ever see the day that Lorelai turns down a chance at your coffee before a road trip."

"So they're definitely gone then?" Luke sighed dejectedly.

"How did you know?"

"I went over to their place,  but it was dark, so I asked Babette."

Sookie nodded, eyeing him thoughtfully.

"What?" he asked, instantly defensive at the inquisitive look gleaming in her eye.

"Did something happen with you two? Are you fighting about something?"

"What makes you say that? We're not.. I mean.. oh hell," he sighed, rolling his eyes at himself and decided that he needed to talk about it. He didn't know whether Sookie was the wisest choice, but knowing that he would have to wait it all out for at least another two days, he knew he'd crack unless he let off some steam. "We're not _exactly_ fighting, but we're not completely ok either," he began, unsure if he really wanted to be stringing this many words together in a row.

"What do you mean? Since when?"

"Last weekend."

"Oh at the test run? Wasn't that a great weekend? I mean I know a lot of things happened, some not so good, you know with Jason and Lorelai's parents, but overall I think it went well. Don't you think it went well?"

"Yeah, it's great Sookie. You and Lorelai have done an amazing job with that place." He took this opportunity to back out of explaining anything further. He'd lost his nerve, and he just didn't have it in him to start being more forthcoming with someone else. It was hard enough with Lorelai. "Um, so do you know when they're getting back?"

"Oh, I told her if she takes more than two days, I'm hunting her down," she replied hastily.

"Ok, well I guess I'll just see her in a couple days then." He stood and headed back to the door, opening it and stepping out onto the porch. He stopped and turned back to her, nodding and offering a gruff, "Thanks."

"Sure," Sookie replied. She watched him head down the steps, and then called to him, "You know, I don't know exactly what you were talking about before, but it sounds important. She does have her cell you know."

He turned to look at her, his expression giving away nothing of the turmoil inside. He nodded quickly and headed back down the street, deciding that he'd done enough for tonight.

---

TBC

Note: The chapter title is from the song "Smile", sung by Nat King Cole, among others. Hope you're sticking with me here, I swear I'm getting there, it's all just build up while my head is writing the scene where they're finally in the same room again. Shouldn't be too far away! What will keep me motivated is some reviews, so please, let me know if I'm doing ok :)


	5. An Affair to Ponder

Chapter Five 

**An Affair to Ponder**

**7 days post kiss, 9pm**

The living room of the small beachside cottage looked the aftermath of a tornado. A tornado that only spat out food scraps in its wake. Practically passed out on the couch, Lorelai and Rory stared heavy-lidded at the tv, where 'An Affair to Remember' was screening. On the coffee table sat an empty pizza box, five containers of thai food, a block of chocolate and empty soda cups. On the end table sat the remains of apple pie, half a bowl of popcorn and an almost empty container of Pringles.

"I'm gonna be sick," Rory mumbled, wrapping her arms around her stomach.

"Hey you get no sympathy from me,. It was your idea to get that curries instead of chinese," her mother replied.

"Well it was a good idea at the time," Rory mumbled half heartedly. Though they were glad to be away from Stars Hollow, their minds had not caught up with their bodies. Each was still consumed by thoughts of all that had happened in the last week. The movie was barely a distraction from their troubles, but as Cary Grant showed up at Deborah Kerr's apartment near the end, Rory was reminded of the question she had been trying to ask all week.

"Mom, what's going on with you and Luke?" She saw Lorelai stiffen out of the corner of her eye, but she wasn't going to let that stop her. "I mean, last weekend you seemed happy, if not a little confused about dating him, and then at the inn everything was fine. But I know you haven't had a single cup of his coffee all week and I know you haven't set foot in the diner either, so what happened?"

"That's not true. I had some this morning." Lorelai chose the easiest question to answer.

"You went to Luke's?" Rory asked in disbelief.

"Not exactly."

"So how did you get his coffee? Did you stage a covert operation at 4am to steal his beans? Do not say yes because I will not be impressed if you did it without me."

"No, he came to the house this morning when I was leaving for work. He brought me a thermos."

"He was there? What did he say?" Rory sat up, suddenly excited that there might be something juicy any second.

"Not a whole lot. He was mad."

"Wait, I'm confused. Something must have happened last weekend that you haven't told me about. I need to know all the details, so spill."

"Are you sure you want to hear all this? I'm not gonna dump this on you if you can't handle it, especially when you have your own issues to figure out," Lorelai was just trying to find a way out of talking about it, and her daughter was well aware of this fact.

"Mom, come on, since when did we start not telling each other everything? It will be a good distraction anyway."

Lorelai was silent a moment as she gathered her thoughts and figured out where to begin. "He kissed me."

"What! When?"

"And then I kissed him. And then we were inches away from kissing each other when Kirk burst onto the scene wearing nothing but a pillow."

Rory visibly shuddered at the idea, and replied, "Ok, so I know the story with Kirk, but give me details! Where? How? Why?"

"We were talking in the hallway, and he was all pissed off and acting like the Grinch because Jason had shown up and was apparently spreading the word that we hadn't broken up. And then he went outside to the porch, maybe he was gonna leave, I don't know, but I followed him and we were still arguing and then suddenly he's grabbing me and kissing me."

"So you were arguing and then kissing? How does that work?"

"I don't know, it wasn't exactly an argument, I guess we were both frustrated about things that were said or not said and we were kind of.. I don't know, yelling?"

"Okaaaay, and the how?" Rory urged, wanting to hear the good stuff.

"The how? I thought I just explained how."

"No, how as in, _how _was he?"

Lorelai sighed as though she didn't want to bring that up, but as soon as she remembered how it had felt, a smile crossed her lips and her daughter caught it quickly.

"I knew it! So how good exactly? Like better than you ever thought he would be, or better than you ever thought George Clooney would be?"

"Definitely the second one," Lorelai admitted.

"Ok, so everything I'm hearing so far sounds positive, but I gotta tell ya, I'm still feeling like President Bush about the reason you're avoiding him."

"I don't know."

"Well let me help you figure it out," Rory pleaded, happy to continue avoiding her own problems.

"I guess _I'm_ feeling a little George W. about the whole thing. I mean here is this guy I have known forever and he's one of my best friends. And all of a sudden he's doing and saying all these things that I never in my wildest dreams thought he would, and in some ways I feel like I don't know who he is anymore. I mean the way he asked me to his sister's wedding was fine, he was acting all casual and like he was doing me a favour by giving me a break from my crazy life. But then, even at the start when I met him outside the diner, he comes out of nowhere and says I look beautiful. I mean I don't think I've _ever _heard him say that word before. And then he's asking me to dance and out to the movies and buying me flowers – which by the way he admitted he has _never_ done before, and while a big part of me likes all this new attention, another part of me is wondering who the hell this guy is."

"Maybe it's the new Luke."

"Yeah, but what happened for him to change so suddenly? It's like he just woke up one morning and decided to be someone completely different. No one does that without a reason, and what if it had nothing to do with me and everything to do with Nicole?"

"_Nicole?_ Why would it have anything to do with her?"

"Because he's only just gotten the divorce, and I'm worried that all of this is a reaction to that."

"You think you're his rebound girl?"

"I don't want us to get messed up in it all because there's just no way that we could ever go back. I don't want to be used to make him feel better about himself, to make him feel wanted, because you just don't do that to your best friend."

"Mom, I think you're forgetting one important piece of information. Luke loves you," Rory stated as if it were obvious.

TBC... Reviews are greatly appreciated :)


	6. A Helping of Uncertainty All Round

**Chapter 6**

**A Helping of Uncertainty All Round**

**Previously:**

"You think you're his rebound girl?"

"I don't want us to get messed up in it all because there's just no way that we could ever go back. I don't want to be used to make him feel better about himself, to make him feel wanted, because you just don't do that to your best friend."

"Mom, I think you're forgetting one important piece of information. Luke loves you," Rory stated as if it were obvious.

-

"What!?" Lorelai was instantly on edge, her stomach leaping at the very idea. "How do you know that?"

"Calm down, I don't mean he's IN love with you, I mean he loves you like a friend. He cares about you, so I don't think he'd willingly do anything to hurt you," she paused thoughtfully for a moment, "Though you never know, maybe he _is_ in love with you and _that's_ why he's acting so different."

Lorelai was silent for several minutes, digesting this new idea, processing it and trying to figure out how that made her feel. There were still so many conflicting feelings, she couldn't define a single one. She finally spoke, careful about what she revealed.

"Well if that's the case, then it raises a whole other bunch of problems."

"Like what?"

"Like, do I want to risk our friendship for something that might not work out. Like, do I feel the same way as him? Because if not, then I don't see the point, which of course leads to how do I tell him and not hurt him and again, how do we stay friends after something like that?"

"Well come on, how _do_ you feel about Luke?"

"I don't know," Lorelai exhaled in frustration, "I've never thought about it before."

"You cannot seriously tell me you've never thought about Luke as more than a friend."

"No I haven't," Lorelai replied.

"You're lying," Rory taunted.

"I'm not Rory. I'm totally serious. I haven't ever let myself think about it because I wouldn't know what to do with something like that."

"So you're basically saying you're scared," Rory summed it up so easily.

Lorelai was staring blankly at the wall, as though the realisation had just hit her. "Yeah," she replied slowly.

"Ok well, I have one more question for you, then I'll stop bugging you. If you think about the moment you kissed, and forget about everything else, forget that he's your best friend, forget that he's not acting like himself, forget about the possibility that one or both of you could end up hurt, remember how it felt when he kissed you, remember how you reacted, and then tell me this: do you want to kiss him again?"

With almost no hesitation, Lorelai turned and met her daughter's eye, replying simply, "Yes."

---

**8 days post kiss, 2pm**

Luke was feeling like a caged animal, and he had no idea how to remedy the problem. He had been thinking too much, but without her there to discuss whatever it was that was going on between them, he continued to get more frustrated as each hour passed by.

It was strange not to see her inside the diner every day. There were rrare times where she hadn't been in on a particular day, but she always made up for it the next, coming in at least twice, and sometimes even three ore more times. But for her to skip an entire week meant that there was a serious problem. Not counting last summer when she and Rory had been in Europe, there was only one other instance where she had gone longer than a week without stopping by; that was when they'd had the massive fight over Jess and Rory's car accident.

Though he definitely wouldn't have admitted it at the time, his thoughts clouded as they were by anger, he realised that he had missed her. He was so used to her relentless, pointless chatter that he hadn't known how to entertain himself throughout the day. She made his work more fun, even when she wasn't there, because some useless inanimate object would remind him of one of her random spoken thoughts, and he would smile to himself as he carried on his day.

His mind had been working overtime, trying to figure out when everything had gone from amazing to worse than the hole Hussein was found in. The last time he'd seen her before the previous day had been when he kissed her, and even when he was chasing Kirk, he hadn't been able to wipe the smile from his face.  What else happened that night that made her stay away from him for an entire week?

Had Jason appeared again and actually managed to talk his way back in? Hearing and seeing Lorelai's reaction when he had told her what Jason had said gave him hope that that wasn't the case, but with his track record where Lorelai was concerned easily supported the notion. It seemed that over the last few years at least, that any time he even entertained the idea of telling her how he felt, some other guy had beaten him to the punch and Luke was left standing on the sidelines, watching as all hope of a relationship wandered down the street, holding her hand.

Maybe Jason had shown up again, but he had spooked her out of wanting any kind of relationship for the foreseeable future. He had seemed like an annoyingly persistent jerk, and he knew that could turn any woman off the idea of dating.

Why did he find it all so hard? He knew he wasn't great at admitting his feelings, but it wasn't like he'd let _every_ opportunity pass him by. There had been Rachel – more than once – and Nicole, and.. Lorelai in between all of that. He wanted her more than he'd wanted anything in his life. He wished he could figure this mess out. He thought back to when he had been having trouble with Nicole and Rachel, and how he had managed to straighten out the issue.

It was then that he realised every other time he'd had problems with a woman, Lorelai was the only one who could drag it out of him and then manage to talk some sense into him.

What the hell was he supposed to do now?

---

TBC.. please, please review and let me know if you're enjoying it. Am I taking it TOO slowly? I can speed it up if need be, I just thought the tension might be good for a bit first.. kinda build up to the good stuff ;)


	7. Distracted and Determined

**Chapter 7**

**Distracted and Determined**

**8 Days Post Kiss, 3pm**  
  
Lorelai and Rory were trailing along the beach, soaking up the sun while they had the chance. It was peaceful, still too early in the season for the summer crowds, and they took full advantage of the near deserted shoreline. 

They were deep in a pause of conversation, having spent most of the day discussing Rory's next move, and how she had ended up in the current predicament. Most of the previous night had been the hashing and rehashing of Lorelai's feelings towards Luke, so she had pounced after breakfast at a local café, telling Rory they couldn't leave Mia's cottage until they both knew what their next move was. Rory's first instinct was to happily agree and then ask if that meant they were never going home, but one look from her mother forced her to at like the adult she now could no longer deny she was.

So they had spent all morning in the café, each with a bottomless cup of coffee, talking about the events leading up to that unforgettable night. Rory explained how it seemed that the entire world was concerned about her single status, that everyone had told her over and over how lonely she must be, and that at some point she must have started to believe it.

She talked about her friendship with Dean, and how Lindsay had tried to stop him seeing her, but she hadn't wanted to lose him, so she asked him to defy the request and he had readily agreed. Then things had snowballed and he was confiding in her how unhappy he was with Lindsay, and he seemed to want to be closer to her, and all she could hear in her head were the voices repeating 'you're lonely, you're so lonely.' And she couldn't help but want to feel the safety of Dean's arms around her again, she wanted to make the voices go away.

Lorelai had listened intently, letting her daughter expose her insecurities and uncertainties, and by the time lunch rolled around, she had a clearer view of what had been going through Rory's mind.

They hastily relocated to a local burger stand, and then headed down to the shoreline to eat and continue their discussion. She asked Rory to explain Lindsay's outburst, and it was concluded that Dean hadn't confessed to her what they had done, only that he didn't want to be married anymore. They agreed that Lindsay had jumped to an easy conclusion, that his request for a divorce had at least a little to do with Rory – as to whether she was assuming there was an affair, Rory couldn't tell, but she didn't think Lindsay expected it to get that far.

Lorelai offered advice on how to handle the situation. First, she should keep her distance from both Dean and Lindsay, and let them sort out their problems. That was the easy part. The hard part would be handling her own emotions, coming to terms with how her first experience had come about. Lorelai suggested she not focus on the negative, try to accept that it wasn't necessarily the best decision, but there was no way to take it back. She had to move forward and try not to dwell on it too much.

Rory then raised the question of whether she should go to Europe with Emily, and Lorelai simply said that she is entitled to go if she wants to, but it should be for the right reasons. If she was running away, then she should turn down the offer. Rory agreed that it was something she had to think on some more before they left the next day.

After dinner, they spent the evening apart, Rory in her room under the premise of reading, and Lorelai out on the porch, watching the small waves lap at the beach in the moonlight. She had turned her phone on for the first time since calling Mia the previous day, and found two messages waiting. The first was Sookie, reminding them they had to returned the next day and asking to please call her when they were on their way. She seemed to pause a moment, as if contemplating her next words, but she forged ahead and explained that Luke had been looking for her and he seemed somehow lost. She left it at that, and offered a quick cheery goodbye.

The second message was a strange collection of sounds; silence, then a slight cough as someone cleared their throat, a deep sigh, and then falteringly the voice finally came. "Hi.. uh.. I know you're probably ignoring my calls, but I just uh.. wanted to.. to apologise for yesterday. I didn't really give you a chance to say anything so I uh.. wanted you to know that I'd like to try that conversation again, when you get back. Just uh.. stop by the diner, or.. or call even. If you're too busy, then um, that's ok too. Ok well.. bye."

Lorelai covered her eyes with one hand as all the emotions she had managed to suppress for the last twelve hours came rushing back. She hated this feeling. She didn't know how to make it go away. She liked hearing his voice, but she was so afraid of every word that left his mouth. She knew that with that message, he had tossed the ball into her court, and it would be up to her to make the move to start that conversation.

She knew though, that once she started it, she was not going to leave until they knew, one way or the other, exactly where they stood. She just had to find the courage to take the first step.

---

**8 Days Post Kiss, 8pm**

Luke had gratefully escaped the diner to eat dinner, glad to be away in the privacy of his apartment, where he didn't have to pretend that everything was ok, where he didn't have to hide behind his façade of the usual attitude mixed with a willingness to please the customers. To those he didn't know, he had always been a pleasant person. Certainly a man of few words, but pleasant nonetheless. It was only the regulars, like Kirk, Andrew, Taylor and Lorelai who had to bear the brunt of his attitude. He knew who he could speak honestly with, and who should be treated as a privileged customer.

Inside his apartment, he was able to be himself. He was able to vent his frustration by yelling at a baseball game on TV, he was able to consume a beer in the hope that it would give him the courage he'd been looking for most of the day. Since visiting Sookie's house, he had been unable to shake her parting comment. He knew she had no idea what was going on between her friends, but he believed she was an extremely receptive person, and it wouldn't take much to figure it out. Which is why, he guessed, that she had suggested it in the first place. He knew she wanted them both to be happy, and if encouraging them to talk was going to aid the cause, then she had no hesitation in doing so.

She had been right to say it; he knew that. But saying it and doing it were two completely different matters. All day as he had passed through the doorway to the kitchen, he had glanced at the phone, wondering when was the right moment to call, even _if_ there was a right moment. He knew that even if she actually did have her cell turned on (which was unlikely given the circumstances), she could quite easily recognise his number and choose not to answer.

He paced the floor, knowing he couldn't spend too much longer away from the diner. Caesar was due to finish his shift soon, and he had to get back to finish closing up. He put his hands on his head, adjusting his cap, trying to psyche himself up for the challenge. He turned and strode purposefully toward the phone on his nightstand, and dialled her number before he had a chance to think about it. When her voicemail message picked up immediately, he knew his first suspicion was correct; her phone was off. It took him a moment to gather his thoughts, and he realised that the  beep had already sounded, and he anxiously tried to figure out what he was going to say.

He stumbled hopelessly through the message and hung up as soon as he could. At least it was over with. The next move was up to her.

He returned downstairs and sent Caesar home, locking the door behind him and turning out the kitchen light. He worked silently, enjoying the peace. He had always liked closing. It was rewarding to see the mess of the day disappear, and to have the tables and chairs clean once again, ready for the next day. It was a routine he could always control, something that he took pride in. It was small, but it was satisfying.

He was halfway up the stairs when to phone rang in the diner. It was late, past eleven already, and he wondered who would be calling a closed diner at this time of night. He contemplated ignoring it, but a fleeting thought made him pause, and then hurry back down the stairs.

"Hello?"

"Hi," she replied cautiously.

---

TBC... heeeheeeheee, you asked for interaction... there it is.. heeeheee ok, I'm fine now, promise. Thanks to those who gave suggestions, much appreciated. I had most of this written already, just not the end, but it just happened fairly naturally. The words were flowin'! Anywho, please do review, I'd love to hear what you think!

Oh also, just a reminder, though I said there'd be other characters, most of them are only appearing to advance the Luke Lorelai plot, but because I touched on Rory's run in with Lindsay, I had to explain it. So there it is :) but you know, since I have each chapter set in time since the kiss, I think it's fairly obvious who my main characters are... no offence.. just my personal preference.


	8. And We Have Contact

Chapter 8 

**..And We Have Contact**

_Previously:_

_He was halfway up the stairs when the phone rang in the diner. It was late, past eleven already, and he wondered who would be calling a closed diner at this time of night. He contemplated ignoring it, but a fleeting thought made him pause, and then hurry back down the stairs. _

_"Hello?"_

_"Hi," she replied cautiously._

--

Silence reigned as he waited for her to continue, and she waited for him to respond. It was a silence that carried on a moment too long, turning it awkward rather than comfortable. Luke, in a bid to get the conversation moving, asked, "Is there something you wanted?" His words came out sounding harsher than he had intended, and he heard her sigh in resignation.

She chose to ignore his tone, instead trying to bring back the fun and light-hearted side their relationship had always had. "So, we had pancakes for breakfast, burgers for lunch and pie for dessert, and I have to tell ya, it just wasn't the same. Too small, too plain, too cinnamony. I'd say that about sums up the worst parts of our meals. I mean, we did have pizza for dinner, but since you don't serve it, I figured there was no point in mentioning it, but I guess I just did. Mention it. To you. It was good. Not at all overcooked, just the right amount of toppings, not too little, not too.."

"Lorelai," Luke vocalized sternly.

"Yeah?"

"Is there a point or are you just avoiding the real reason you called?"

"I thought the point was obvious, Luke. Except for the pizza, the food here sucks, so I thought that would be something you might like to know, you know, in case you ever decided to franchise the diner, this would be a great place to open one. You'd have to beat the customers off with a stick. Of course, the only problem is that you can't be in two places at once, and not even Caesar can cook as well as you, so Stars Hollow would be missing out on your talent, and the diner would go bankrupt and you'd be right back where you started, only not really, cause you'd be in a whole new town. Maybe you could wait til they perfect the cloning process and.."

"Lorelai," he cut short her babbling yet again, "if you don't get serious in the next five seconds, I'm hanging up this phone."

"Ok, ok. Geez, keep your pants on!" She sighed, realising that he was beyond grouchy, and her usual incessant chatter was serving only to make him even grouchier.

"It's late, I'm tired, I was halfway upstairs when you called." He pushed his cap backwards off his head, turning it in his hands as he settled the receiver between his ear and shoulder.

"Oh.. sorry. I wasn't sure where you'd be, so I took a shot."

"And?"

She took a deep breath, ready to forge ahead, "And I wanted to tell you I got your message, and that I think talking is a good idea."

"Good." It wasn't a smile-worthy situation, but he was glad she'd made the effort to make contact, and that she was doing her best to not hide from it all.

"And um.. I've been doing a lot of thinking here, and I'm not totally sure, but I think I know what I want."

"Good. That's good. So when do you want to have this talk?"

"Um, I don't know yet. I have to see how Sookie's handling the inn. Um, I'll just stop by the diner when I get the chance, ok?"

"Fine." He was anxious, but with her still half a state away, he knew he had no choice but to wait until she was at least back in town.

"Ok, good. Well it's late, you're tired. I'll see you later."

"Goodnight Lorelai."

"Goodnight John-boy, she grinned, unable to resist.

He returned the phone to its cradle and shook his head as he headed for the stairs, hoping this time he'd actually make it up to bed without being interrupted.

---

**9 Days Post Kiss, 3pm**

With a ridiculous amount of begging from Rory, citing her own withdrawal symptoms from lack of good coffee, Lorelai reluctantly stopped at Luke's on their way home. Rory even refused to be her girl Friday and forced the elder Gilmore to go inside alone.

Naturally, she was relieved when only Lane was behind the counter.

"Lorelai, you're back! Where's Rory?"

"In the car. Hey, when is your shift over?"

"Pretty soon. It's been really dead this afternoon, so Luke told me I could take off early. Coffee?" she replied, already turning for the pot and grabbing two take out cups.

"Yeah, thanks. Listen, I have to go check on the inn, so Rory's gonna be home if you want to come hang out. I'll grab some chinese on my way home and we can binge and purge to our hearts' content."

"Sounds good. Tell Rory I'll be there around four."

"Ok, thanks," Lorelai replied, referring to the steaming cups. See you later," Lorelai smiled, leaving her cash on the counter and grabbing the extra large cups. She was halfway out the door when Luke appeared from the storeroom, immediately surprised to see her there. In his diner. Looking beautiful. He hesitated a moment too long, debating over whether he should stop her. Their phone call the previous night had been awkward, and not a lot was said, but they hadn't yelled, and that gave him courage to want to at least say hi.

She was already standing by the jeep, talking to Rory, so he strode quickly for the door, pulling it open and exiting to the sidewalk. He paused, watching her a moment from only a few feet away. She hadn't seen him yet, and he was glad of the opportunity to take her in. She was dressed casually in a knee length denim skirt, pink candy striped tank, and flip flops on her feet. She looked relaxed, like the time away had done her good.

He took a few quiet steps forward until he was close enough to speak. "Lorelai," he said quietly, his voice coming out raspy, like her name had caught in his throat before tumbling out.

She jumped in fright and turned to him with a scalding reply. "God, don't do that! You scared the crap out of me."

"Sorry, didn't mean to. I uh, just wanted to say hi, and see it you've had a chance to figure out when we can have that talk."

She seemed exasperated, like he was a five year old annoying his parents with a barrage of questions. "Luke, give me a chance to settle in, ok? We haven't even been home yet, and I still need to go to the inn. I promise, we'll talk as soon as humanly possible."

He was annoyed by her tone of voice. He had only asked a simple question. "Fine,' he rumbled, averting his eyes and looking back at the diner. "I better get back." He turned and strode back inside before she had a chance to say any more.

---

TBC

Note: sorry this took so long. I think by reading all the other great fics, it makes me feel like it isn't necessary to write my own to satisfy my craving, but I'm not a quitter, so I am determined to finish this! Hope you're all still with me!


	9. Fear of the Lion's Cage

11 Days Post Kiss, 5.30pm

Lorelai dragged herself across the threshold of her home, heaving a sigh of relief to be away from the hectic world of a just opened inn. "Rory? I'm home! Come tell Mommy about you day, cause hers was busy but _so_ boring. Michel didn't once fall for my constant teasing and storm off in a huff! I think I might be broken." She dumped her bag and keys on the hall table and wandered through to her daughter's bedroom. "Do you think it's possible for stress to severely inhibit my wit to the point where I think it may be gone forever?"

Rory looked up form the book her nose was currently buried in, appraising her mother for a second before replying, "In someone else, I'd probably say yes, but since it is one of your defining qualities, I'd have to respond in the negative."

"Oh good, because the prospect of working with Michel and never again being the one to make him go red or green or yellow makes me ready to give up my dream and – I don't know – go join the Jamaican bobsled team," Lorelai grinned. "So tell me about your day. I need to hear something fun."

"Sorry to disappoint, but I didn't leave the house all day."

Lorelai gasped in surprise. "No daughter of mine is going to become a hermit! If this pattern continues, I may just have to disown you and pull out that spare kid I've been hiding in the closet for just this kind of situation."

"Do you even feed her?" Rory asked, smiling.

"No, she's the next model up from that A.I kid. They managed to de-program the Oedipus complex."

"Well good. I wouldn't want you to be walking down the street with her latched onto your ankle like a massively heavy and cumbersome lojack."

"At leats she'd be willing to get out of the house," Lorelai replied, giving Rory a pointed look.

"I just don't want to tempt fate and run into Dean, or worse, Lindsay."

Lorelai moved forward, out of the doorway into the room. She perched on the edge of the bed, taking Rory's hand. "Hon, you can't avoid them forever. One day you're going to have to face both of them. In the meantime, you should perfect your 'I'm guilty of nothing' expression. It helps to not give away anything to the wife."

"I know, but look who's talking Mrs Pot-hyphen-Black. You haven't set foot near Luke's since we got back two days ago."

"Well.."

"Mom, there's no point in you trying to deny it or make excuses. I thought you promised to talk to him."

"I did. I just don't know what I'm going to say."

"You have to be honest. Does he even know what else happened at the test run?"

"He _was_ there Rory," Lorelai began.

"No, I mean does he know about Grandma and Grandpa, the too many – too few kitchen staff debacle, me?"

"You want me to tell him?" Lorelai was surprised. She had every intention of keeping Rory's situation under wraps, preferably in a lead lined box with a massive padlock.

"No, I mean, does he know that I needed you that night. I don't want anybody to know what happened. Especially Luke."

"Oh ok, um, good. And the answer is no. He and I didn't exactly do a lot of talking that night," she began before Rory interrupted with, "Ugh Mom! No details please."

"No Miss Gutter Mind. I just mean that with so much going on, I didn't get a chance to tell him anything. We argued, we kissed, Kirk streaked by and Luke went after him."

"Could anything else have happened that night?" Rory wondered, her head only now comprehending how much her mother had gone through.

"Oh well, at least the dancing midgets didn't make an appearance."

"Good point. Mom, if you don't talk to him soon, he may not wait around for long, and then it will be too late."

Lorelai sighed, it was hard to find the courage she needed to confront him. "I know. You're right."

"Good. Now, I don't think you're gonna like what I have to say next, but you don't get a choice. I think we should have dinner at Luke's."

Lorelai was already up and backing out the door, shaking her head. "Nope. No way Rory. I can't do it now."

"Mom, it's been a week and a half! If you're not ready now, you never will be, but that's not even an issue because I'm not giving you a choice. What if I promise to stay through dinner and a coffee before I conveniently and discreetly disappear?"

Lorelai paused, thinking it over. "Three coffees."

"Two."

"Deal."

"Ok, let's go!" Before she had a chance to object, Rory pushed her to the door, grabbing her handbag for her along the way.

"I'm taking the new kid out of her box tomorrow," Lorelai mumbled, pouting as she walked towards the diner, protesting the entire way.

---

It was nothing if not a surprise when Luke saw Lorelai walk into the diner behind Rory. He had immediately frozen halfway across the floor, two full plates in each hand, staring at the one person he had both dreaded and wanted to walk through the door. It took him a full ten seconds to recover and continue his path, delivering the plates and then retreating to the kitchen so he could gather his thoughts. He knew her presence meant she was ready to talk. She what did he do now? Go and take their order like nothing had happened? He sucked in a breath and strode back to the counter, grabbing the coffee pot and two mugs. He headed to their table, silently setting down the cups and pouring the steaming liquid.

"Hi Luke," rory opened the conversation, smiling at him.

"Hi Rory," he replied, glad that someone had said something.

"How's things?" the younger woman asked, attempting to fill the silence that was usually occupied by her mother's voice.

"You know, fine. I.. Oh hell, I can't do this! You," he pointed at Rory, "stay, eat, drink. You," he turned to Lorelai, "upstairs now."

"But.." she protested. He glared at her, which had always been enough to force her to comply, and it didn't fail him now. She closed her mouth and stood, waiting for him to lead the way up to his apartment.

Rory watched silently, vainly attempting to suppress a grin as her mother was led into what seemed to be the lion's cage. But she knew better than many, that this particular lion's roar was worse than his bite.

---

TBC

Please review! Apologies for taking so long in updating. I have a fair bit written at the moment, I just have to type it up. Hopefully will appear later this week.


	10. Five Thousand Piece Puzzle

Though the windows were open, allowing a pleasant early evening breeze into the room, the atmosphere in Luke's apartment was stifling. Lorelai stood by the door, wishing she was anywhere else. Luke however, was taking charge of the situation, and while crossing the floor to the kitchen, he pointed to the couch and commanded, "Sit."

She had seen him in this mood often enough to know that it was in her best interest to do as told. She waited there, stealing a glance at his back to see what he was doing. It surprised her when he turned and delivered a mug of coffee into her hands. She took a cautious sip and lifted her eyes to him, still standing over her. "Thank you," she spoke softly, afraid to say any more.

"Why? Why do you always do this to me? What did I do to deserve this?"

Her heart lurched at his words, and suddenly she understood his point of view; why he had been so angry when he came to her house; why he had called; why he had pushed her to talk as soon as she came back to town. She locked her gaze on her cup, no longer able to look at him. "This is a big deal," she replied, her tone still barely more than a whisper.

"You think I don't know that? But you don't see me running away and avoiding the issue!" He hadn't moved from his position, his arms crossed over his chest, hands tucked in securely.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to do that to you. I just have so much going on right now..."

"Don't make excuses Lorelai! I don't want to hear it."

She looked up at him, a glimmer of defiance shining in her eyes. "It's not an excuse Luke! Do you have any idea what's happened in the last two weeks? The timing couldn't have been worse. I couldn't deal with it."

"Is it _ever_ going to be good timing? There's always something to use as an excuse. But I took the chance, and I don't care how bad the timing is, because I'm not going to wait any longer."

"What does that mean?"

"It means we are not leaving this room until we figure this out."

She turned her head away from him, letting her eyes wander over the various objects on display. The life jacket hanging by the door; the bookcase filled with old trophies and framed photos; the now unoccupied single bed that once belonged to Jess. She realised that there was so much she didn't know about him. This place was filled with memories, and she wanted to learn them more than anything.

She inhaled deeply, preparing to continue the conversation, knowing what her first question had to be. "Why now Luke? What changed for you to want this now?"

He crossed in front of her to sit at the opposite end of the couch, his body turned towards her. "I got tired of waiting. You have no idea how long I've wanted this."

Lorelai closed her eyes against those words, leaning forward and covering her face with her hands for a moment. She hadn't been prepared for that. "Do you have any idea how much pressure that is?"

"Why does there have to be pressure? It should be easy," he stated calmly, knowing that the more worked up he got, the more freaked out she would become.

"Have you thought about this at all? Have you considered the consequences if it doesn't work?"

"Believe me, I've put enough thought into this for the both of us. I don't care about the consequences right now, because if I did, I wouldn't be here fighting for what I want."

She turned her face to him, staring at him silently for a second. "Why me Luke? You know me better than my kid sometimes, but you still want this? I thought I drove you crazy!"

A smile appeared on his lips briefly. "In more ways than one," he responded, "I just know that I need you in my life."

"Stop it!" she exclaimed, suddenly leaping from the couch to pace the floor.

"Why?"

"Because I can't handle this right now. Because I still don't know if we're doing the right thing. Because Rory has her own seriously major problems, and I have to be her mother and help her through it, and I don't know how to fix it this time, because it's not something I can make go away with a few loud sentences, and I don't know what I'm supposed to do to make it better, and the inn is open, and my ex-boyfriend seems to have turned into stalker-from-hell, and my parents might be getting divorced and I don't know what to do about it, and I feel like my whole life has turned into a five thousand piece puzzle, only none of the damn pieces seem to fit!" As each word came out of her mouth, she tensed a little more, another tear filled her eyes, forcing the ones before it to spill over her cheeks. Luke stood, listening intently as he moved towards her. He watched her in silence, his face filled with nothing more than tender concern.

"You should have told me," he reprimanded her gently.

"And you," she continued as if he'd said nothing, "here you are being Mr Perfect, and I want this more than anything, but I'm afraid. I keep thinking..."

"Don't think about it. What do you feel?" He was standing so close, she could feel the heat from his skin warming her own. She licked her suddenly dry lips, nerves rattling as his hand made contact with her cheek.

"I feel..." she attempted, but the look in his eyes distracted her and she had to close her own to concentrate on what she had wanted to say. "I feel..." she tried again, but she was cut off, his lips pressed against her own, tasting her, enveloping her.

She let him take control, let him possess her. She felt the tingles of desire as his free hand made contact at her waist before sliding across her back and up into her hair. God that felt good. Safe, cradled in his strong arms.

With Luke holding her this way, she knew there was no way she could ever lose her balance. There was no way she could fear sharing herself with him. The only falling Lorelai would be doing from this moment on, was for Luke.

---

TBC

Please please review! It took me so long to finally get this scene into some sense and on the page. It's been fractured and rattling around in my head since I began this story, so it feels great to finally have it all down on paper!


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